


cat got your tongue? (no, just biting the bullet)

by danvers-grant (diannaprince)



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Supercat Week, more like enemies to reluctant allies to annoyed friends to lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26945752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diannaprince/pseuds/danvers-grant
Summary: Cat finally turns to face her attacker and is met with a very interesting figure. From behind a mask, blue eyes watch her every move. She’s dressed in a bodysuit, no skirt, no cape, and no mismatching primary colors.Smarter than Clark Kent then. Interesting.“Well, you’re no Superman.” Her eyes linger on the crest on her chest. “Supergirl then.”Cat smirks at the way the girl’s eyebrows crinkle at the name. “That’s not my—”“Charming,” She drawls. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve got plenty more things to do.”“You mean steal?”“Semantics, darling. And I’m no ordinary cat burglar.”orau where cat grant is like all the other billionaires and a little bit evil but not that kind of evil and kara danvers is just a confused bartender that moonlights as a vigilante who fortunately does color coordinate
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Cat Grant
Comments: 6
Kudos: 42
Collections: General Danvers & Supercat Week 5





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this came out of a very convoluted idea slash dream about all the real life ceos hiring assassins to kill the others and i thought, wow, why not adapt this into a fic (also dont clown me for this title its 2am and idioms are puns now)
> 
> did i do this instead of my ochem? yes. do i regret any part of this? that remains to be seen. enjoy :)

_Just like riding a bike_ , Cat recalls Selina’s words bitterly. 

She huffs in effort as she slings herself across the roof and over the wired fence. It’s a rough landing, ending with her stumbling onto her knees to avoid a twisted ankle, but she’s in. Why Cat agreed to this after a decade, she’ll never understand. 

“Oh, right.” She grumbles. “Bruce _fucking_ Wayne.”

With a deadline on the clock, she adjusts the goggles over her eyes and sneaks her way into the power plant. Selina’s tip had four locations and with her boy toy checking the three in Gotham, she had dropped the last one off like some gift at Cat’s doorstep along with her whip and a blank check that held a promise.

“Consider this an invite to the baby shower,” The note had said. And really, the things you do for family. 

Once inside, Cat spots three armed men and quickly dodges out of sight. It’s not hard to guess that the hired help is there for some diversion, but taking out power for the slums of National City doesn’t sound right—it’s not a typical MO for any of Gotham’s supervillains.

Whatever the case, it’s the world’s best detective’s job and not hers. Her only job tonight is gathering intel.

She sneaks behind the men and follows discreetly, using her new razor sharp claws to hack at the cables left uncut. She would be feeling worse about this if she didn’t know half the hospitals on this side of the city were funded through a few of National City’s own one percent; there’s some perverse joy in knowing Luthor and Lord will most likely be making headlines tomorrow.

Oh well. Anything for the news story. Especially if her biggest competitors and pains in the ass happen to lose public favor.

She’s just finishing up tearing through a crate when there’s movement around the corner and suddenly there’s gunfire. Lots of yelling, something in a language Cat doesn’t quite catch, and she fights to stay hidden as the commotion gets louder.

A blast of wind and there’s silence. With a quick look around the corner, the men are no longer conscious and since they're already incapacitated, Cat begins unmasking them and gathering evidence. 

While Selina had not specified anything about it, it wouldn’t hurt to have a paper trail. NCPD would be more useful having a set of fingerprints to track whatever organized crime syndicate is behind this, and if not, the godforsaken Justice League. 

For once, Cat is grateful that she’s not working in the confines of Gotham and its stellar police force. The corrupt bastards are on the long list of why she never settled CatCo's HQ in Gotham, despite Wayne's promises. As she’s finishing with the last set of fingerprints, she hears someone approaching and slithers back into the shadows instinctively, no doubt more backup after that fiasco. 

Before she can slip away undetected, there’s another breeze of air, too fast to be a coincidence.

“You know,” A voice speaks up from behind her. “Whatever happened to honor among thieves?” 

There’s a solid body behind her, and if she had not known for a fact that the Boy Scout in Blue was off world, she’d have hazarded that guess. In a feat of agility that surprises her, Cat leaps out of the way in time to escape.

“Good thing I’m no thief then.” 

She finally turns to face her attacker and is met with a very interesting figure. From behind a mask, blue eyes watch her every move. She’s dressed in a bodysuit, no skirt, no cape, and no mismatching primary colors. 

Smarter than Clark then. Interesting.

“Well, you’re no Superman.” Her eyes linger on the crest on her chest. “Supergirl then.” 

Cat smirks at the way the girl’s eyebrows crinkle at the name. “That’s not my—”

“Charming,” She drawls. “I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve got plenty more things to do.”

“You mean steal?” There’s a stubbornness to her voice, and really, contrary to prior thoughts, maybe she _is_ just another Clark Kent in the making. 

“Semantics, darling. And I’m no ordinary cat burglar.”

“Then what are you supposed to be?” The girl advances this time with her super speed and Cat only manages to dodge her punches. “Dressed like a cat, picking up prints for what—to sell? Sounds like a burglar to me.”

“I’d say I’m a concerned citizen,” Cat answers smartly. “What about you then? You’re dressed in more black than me.”

“I-What?” She sputters and Cat snickers quietly.

“Honestly, you’d think you were some government puppet with that military get up. Did Superman not want to share any fabric?”

“Enough talk. I don’t know what you’re doing here but you’re coming with me.”

“Well come catch me if you can. I’d like to see you try.” That seems to set off the hero, and Cat hides a grin as she assumes a fighting stance.

There is a fire in her blue eyes, encased by the mask but not invisible, that’s not just hostile but a little inquisitive and Cat only raises an eyebrow. In a split second, those blue eyes flash red and the skin crackles with heat. Cat has been to enough of Lois’ house parties to get the hell out of dodge.

She jumps and swings out her whip, barely missing the laser vision sweep towards her feet, and taking quick note of the different color of the Kryptonian’s laser vision. The harsh brightness disorients her for a moment, but gains her bearings in time to let go and drop down to avoid a blast of ice breath. The earth below her feet shakes as she lands, crumbling from a super stomp from the wannabe Superman. It sends her scrambling to the side, immediately turning her momentum into a roll to the side of the wall. 

At that moment, Cat sees her opening and reacts quickly, sweeping her leg and catching the hero around the ankle. Caught by surprise, Supergirl trips up and begins falling but not before blasting her away with a powerful gust of wind.

The force of the wind throws her through the doors and onto the gravel, and for the second time that night, Cat tumbles through it, grunting as her back catches most of the fall. She knows when to cut her losses, and rather than approach the girl, whose face is set in a grimace, she stands back up and makes to flee. 

Annoyingly, she seems to predict her retreat, and in another flash of wind, there’s a super powered alien standing between her and the nearest fire escape. Cat's getting really annoyed by with the super speed.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Cat tuts. “You’re on the wrong side of this.”

No determined hero would take her for her word, Cat understands. Certainly not uppity blondes with a penchant for righteous justice, but she tries anyways. She drops the whip, tosses the files to the floor, and raises her hands in surrender.

“I think you’re the one on the wrong side,” She responds. “I’m not letting you get away that easily, you’re going straight to NCPD.” 

With her hands behind her head, Cat shakes her head. The heroine starts walking back towards her, to make her arrest, but this time Cat is quicker. 

“Don’t take this too personally then, darling.” 

And with lightning quick reflexes, she opens her ring—the Kryptonite a nauseating green once exposed from its lead covering—and watches as Supergirl’s eyes widen. She stumbles then, and Cat slashes through her stomach with her sharp claws, ripping into the fabric of the suit and drawing blood. The hero staggers, staring at her hands coated in crimson and falls to her knees, doubling over in pain.

Cat grabs her whip and the files and makes her way up the fire escape. Before scaling to the top completely, she turns and tosses the ring to the fallen hero. It clatters on the ground, just a few feet from her face, drawn in pure agony. 

“I’m sorry about this,” Cat says as honestly as she can. “Until next time, Supergirl.”

* * *

Her night time adventure had turned into a far more newsworthy event, one that even CatCo Worldwide Media reports on every hour. Her dealings remain secret apart from handing off the fingerprints to her snitch in the Science Division, so it’s all wrapped up nicely. Even the new vigilante—Supergirl, which Cat has the pleasure of officially naming—is tightlipped. 

“Would you look at that?” A voice echoes in her office. “A new hero in town on your first night back in black?” 

“Selina, I didn’t expect you to make a personal visit. What with the—” Cat waves a hand, gesturing aimlessly.

“You and I both know pregnancy can’t keep a woman down.” She lets out a cackle then and Cat shakes her head. 

Eve Tessmacher runs in with her clipboard, panting. “Ma’am, you’re not supposed to be here and especially not without an appointment.” 

Selina looks at her, bemused, before speaking. “Selina Wayne, and I’m sure kitty here will make an exception for me.” Cat snorts. Selina looks pointedly at her. “Won’t you?” 

Eve looks close enough to an aneurysm that Cat decides to relieve her of her stress. “Miss Tessmacher, no one disturbs me for the rest of the day.”

“But Miss Grant, your meeting with—”

“Yes, even Maxwell Lord. I don’t care what you tell him, tell him I popped a blood vessel from all his whining, tell him I’m dying of a disease his company can’t cure—I don’t care.” 

Eve nods, starstruck or in fear, Cat can’t tell, but she exits with a squeak, complying without Cat even uttering a single “Chop, chop.” 

Selina settles on the couch then, comfortable despite the glass office, and she’s already reaching for Cat’s glass of whiskey. Cat sighs exasperatedly before snatching it from her. 

“You know I would've done it if you'd asked, right?” She downs the rest of the liquor and ignores Selina’s snide look. “I don’t need the blank check.” 

“I know.” Because she does, because they’re family, but they don’t talk like that. “But I figured Bruce's reassurance would seal the deal.” 

“Well, I won't argue if he'll do it.” 

“Then consider it done. I believe I owe you drinks then.” 

“You better not be drinking Kyle or I will call Bruce right this instant.”

“Always such a mother hen.” Selina rolls her eyes. “C’mon, I know just the place and I happen to know that your afternoon is completely clear.”

.

The bar that Selina takes her to is small, tucked behind an alleyway that Cat wouldn’t ever be caught in. There’s a passcode to get in through the door but past that, security regard her with such a familiarity that Cat shoots her a questioning glance. 

Ever the preening peacock, Selina waltzes in and takes a seat at the bar, gesturing for the bartender, and pats the stool next to her. Cat settles at the bar next to Selina, crossing her arms on the gleamy, dark wood. It’s a standard bar, if a bit of a hard place to find. 

There’s a light up sign on the far back wall—El’s Dive Bar—and some pool tables and a few flat screens, but it’s nothing fancy. She wouldn’t call the bar seedy, from the top shelf liquor Cat spies, it’s anything but that. Nothing and yet everything about it screams Selina Kyle.

“I didn't realize you were still quite active in the last nine months.” She taps on the wood of the counter.

“These are old stomping grounds from the old days with the Sirens. Not quite as many places to party in Gotham that’s quite as welcoming.”

Cat takes to glancing around and notices the different patrons. The bar isn’t too crowded, there’s enough people around the place mingling. There’s a group of men at the end of the bar, huddled and laughing together, all of them with identical faces and skin toned blue. When she looks close enough she quickly recognizes that most of the people are of an otherworldly nature. 

“They are,” The bartender answers. She turns and finds herself face to face with a brunette. “Sorry for the intrusion, but you were thinking rather loudly.”

At what must be her bewildered look, Selina laughs. “Oh don’t tell me you didn’t know about the alien bars. They’re all the fun around here that’s not V’s stupid fight club.”

The bartender shudders. “No need to get into that now. I’m M’gann.” She extends a hand and Cat gingerly shakes it. Before she can really question how she can read her mind, a voice cuts her off.

“— sighted at the scene of the crime that resulted in a blackout last night,” A familiar voice says, and Cat takes notice of the radio behind the bar. Leslie’s voice echoes across the entire bar. “The police are saying one thing, but if I know anything about this city, it’s those damned illegal—” 

A hand cuts in front of her vision and switches the radio to another station swiftly. Huh. So that’s what she’d run off and ended up doing. With a quick glance around the room, she takes note of revisiting Leslie Willis. 

Instead, she focuses on the drink the bartender sets in front of them. “Here’s your usual, Selina.” Selina waves it off.

“Oh no, not for me. For her.” Cat arches a brow and Selina shrugs, a smile playing on her lips. “I’ll just have water.” Selina answers. M’gann nods knowingly and turns on the tap, sliding the glass to Selina. She wanders off to the other end of the bar, and Cat is content to turn and watch everyone now that she’s had her thoughts confirmed.

“Was there a particular reason you brought me here, a journalist, here of all places?” Cat asks finally. Selina only nudges at her shoulder, her face the pure essence of innocence.

“I just wanted to bring you out for drinks, really. I swear.” Selina pouts. “You needed some time to relax.” She smirks at her then. “And if you’d get laid, then that’s just an added bonus.”

“Ugh, please don’t.” Cat takes another swig of her drink and feels the buzz hit her. “What the hell is this?” 

“It’s alien rum now don’t dodge the question.” Selina prods. “I haven’t seen you go out since Maxwell Lord forced you to dance with him at his gala and you got stuck on his suit.” 

“Don’t mention that again, ever. Please.” Cat says. “And I don’t hear a question, just statements. I have my company to focus on either way, hence the favor, Selina. Do keep up.”

“Is it so bad that I think you should at least loosen up? Speaking of.” Selina turns to the bar and flags M’gann down. “Hey, where’s Kara?”

“Family emergency last night, with the blackout and everything.” M’gann answers. “Said she had to check on something but she’d be back soon. I’ll let her know you stopped by.”

“Hmm, yes, quite the event last night, huh?” Selina turns to her, almost purring, and Cat shakes her head, her mind already knowing what Selina seems to suggest, and she stands. She slaps few bills on the counter and turns to M’gann. 

“Lovely to meet you, but I have a board meeting tomorrow and I can’t get any more tipsy than whatever the hell was in that drink. Selina, I’m sure I’ll see you around.” 

Cat strides to the door and to leave with a dismissive wave, Selina’s voice calling out to her. “I’m not letting up on this. Cat.” 

* * *

“It is imperative that this merger occur. You refused to go public until we forced your hand and now you’re tanking the rest of this company all for some delusion of female power, well—” 

Cat nearly groans as Dirk wraps up his monologue. Their board meeting had gone on for two hours too many and Cat knows the nightmare waiting for her when she steps back into her office. 

“Thank you, Dirk.” Cat cuts in. “Regardless of what you all believe, I am still your CEO and the majority shareholder. If you have any other reason to demand a board meeting, feel free not to include me as I have a company to run. See yourselves out.” 

With that, Cat stands despite the protests that erupt and steps out of the room, bypassing her assistant and heading to her office. Behind her, she can hear Eve shuffling to catch up.

“Miss Grant, one of the shareholders is here to—”

Standing inside her office is Maxwell Lord, the smug douchebag. Dressed in a three piece of last season's Armani, he stands at her bar, helping himself to her alcohol. 

“Kitty!” Max turns to her with a grin. “It’s been awhile since we’ve seen each other. Why don’t we go out for lunch, my treat?” The smile creeps higher, turning conspiratorial. Cat resists shuddering in disgust and instead, musters as much disdain she can and sneers at him.

“I don’t think so, Max. You schedule appointments to see me, and I cancel them because I'm not in the mood to speak to you at all." Her eyes bore into his and he meets her gaze head on. "I don't want you in my building, ever. So go back to what ever hell hole you crawled out of." 

“Of course, my apologies then.” Max takes a step closer, moving for a hug before thinking better of it. For once in his insipid life, he gives up and walks out of her office. At the doorway, he appraises her assistant with a lecherous gaze and Cat applauds Eve for standing her ground and meeting his gaze with sternness.

“Give Mr. Wayne my regards,” Max casually says with a knowing smile. Always one to have the last word, Cat thinks. She watches as he leaves out of earshot, and as soon as he's in the elevator, Eve closes the doors and begins her profuse apologies.

“I’m so sorry, Miss Grant. He slipped in and I don’t understand why security didn’t escort him out. I tried to get him to leave but—”

“Miss Tessmacher, I want my office purged of that awful smell of cologne. But first, get me a cheeseburger on a salad first, I’ll be out on my balcony. Go.” 

Cat doesn’t bother waiting to see if her assistant follows. She steadies herself and reaches for her phone and her glasses before heading out onto the balcony. She makes a show of settling into the lounge and waits until she hears Eve leave to dial Selina’s number.

“We have a problem.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> two chapters in one day? yes, i am in fact procrastinating but honestly nine assignments and i cranked out over 5k — i will take it

Kara wakes up just in time to remember her set brunch with Lena. With Alex thankfully occupied, Kara’s taken to being more daring in her...nightly activities. Last night, however, had taken a lot out of her and her fight against the cat lady—Catwoman if her bodysuit and sharp claws would lead her to believe, or was it just some copycat?—had not gone the way she’d thought it would.

Kara makes it into Noonan’s an hour and fifteen minutes late and Lena has already sequestered a booth, with four coffee cups on the table. 

“Here you go,” Lena greets her as she walks up to her, sliding two cups of coffee her way.

“Oh, what did I do to deserve this?” Kara asks with a smile and a sparkle in her eye. “How are you? How’s the hospital? I saw what happened on the news last night.” 

“Ah, don’t remind me,” Lena groans, running a hand through her hair as she leans back against the counter. “Morgan Edge is a pain in the ass and even more so when mother and Lex decide they like him now. This merger is going to turn into a hostile takeover, I can already feel it.”

“I bet you wish you had spent a little more time actually studying biotechnology instead of studying Jack Spheer?” Kara teases. Her grin widens when she notices the slight shudder that runs down Lena’s spine at the mention of her only ex-boyfriend.

“Nope. You can’t tease me about my boy troubles and when you’re off wandering on your own nightly activities,” she says, smiling back. Kara’s eyes widen in panic, ready to explain away her vigilantism. Lena continues, oblivious to her panic.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice you weren’t at the bar last night. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were out on a date but knowing you, you were out on assignment weren’t you.” Lena gives her a worried and stern glance.

“Guilty...as charged?” Kara takes the excuse, unwilling to reveal yet another secret and endanger someone else.

“Not that I don’t think the freelance thing isn’t working, I think you’re doing far better than working at the Planet, but you have to take care of yourself, Kara,” Lena tells her. “I know what it’s like being a workaholic.” She takes another sip from her latte. “Just, try not to get too overwhelmed chasing down leads alright.”

“I will, I promise,” Kara says, wearing a gentle smile. “Don’t worry.” As the words leave her mouth, her phone rings. “Oh, it’s Clark,” Kara awkwardly gestures to leave but Lena stands instead.

“You’re fine, I’ll just grab us something to eat. Any preference?” Kara shakes her head and watches as Lena falls in line at the counter before picking up the phone. 

“Kara,” a warm voice crackles in her ear. “How are you? How’s National City treating you?”

“Clark, hey. It’s certainly something,” Kara answers honestly. “It’s...different.”

“C’mon, I can already hear how happy you are out of Metropolis.” Clark says knowingly. Kara’s glad that FaceTime doesn’t quite work off world or he’d already know from the blush on her face. 

“I know you’re not one for a social call but—”

“Yes, Kal,” Kara starts, “I do have a bar to open soon.”

“Well, aside from those nightly activities, I just had another favor to ask. About your other nightly duties.” Kara quiets and instantly waits for the disapproval. Clark continues after a beat, a graveness to his voice.

“I know you don't want me to pull the Big Brother card—”

“—I'm still older than you, you know—”

“—but please, listen when I say that it's best to stay away from the Gotham rogues. Especially if they come crawling out in the daylight.”

“I can't just stay put when they come to my city, Kal. Unless there's something else I'm missing here.” 

“Just—Trust me, please. I don't want you to get hurt. And these rogues, they deal differently. There's a reason I try not to hang around there too much.”

Kara stays silent. The woman from before had been different—not a common thief, not with the whip and the extra sharp claws, but still, not as crazy as the clowns she’s heard rumors about. 

“She had kryptonite, Kal. How did she have that? Is that how everything in Gotham works?”

He sighs loudly over the phone and while Kara can't claim to know everything about his relationship with the Dark Knight, she can tell it's about to get more complicated.

“Look. When I get back, I'll tell you everything. At least, everything I'm at liberty to say. Just be safe okay, and stay put.”

“Yeah, sure. Of course.” 

“For what it’s worth, Kara, I’m proud of you.” 

Kara smiles. “Thanks.”

“Next time maybe have a cape or pose for a photo? Also, a nice touch with the mask. You’re looking more like a bat than me though I’m sure Jimmy would love to clarify that with an action shot of you in your suit.”

With a quip, the seriousness and the tension vanishes and Kara lets out a breath in relief at her cousin’s support.

“Fine, fine. I’ll strike a pose, but no skirts.”

“I wouldn’t dream of suggesting it,” Clark begins. He cuts himself off and Kara can hear a yell through the speaker before the line goes dead. A text comes up immediately, more key smash than anything, but she texts Clark back about calling later—when he’s not as preoccupied—and she gets a thumbs up.

Lena returns after a few minutes with a few muffins and an apologetic look on her face. 

“I’m sorry about cutting this short, but Edge just called for a board meeting so it looks like I’ll have to leave earlier than normal.”

“Hey, no worries,” Kara reassures her. “Besides, I was late and you didn’t say anything so it’s on me, okay? It's okay. Next time, come by the bar after you beat Edge's ass and it’ll be drinks on me.” 

“Thanks, Kara. You’re the best.” 

“You are too. You’re going to nail this,” She says with an encouraging smile. “I know you are.” With an encouraging smile, she bids good bye to Lena and heads back to the bar just as M’gann shoots her a text.

.

It’s just after the six o’clock rush that Kara finally gets a call from Maggie. While Alex has been away on a training retreat, she’s been able to needle her ex for more information. Thankfully, Maggie Sawyer is still a sucker for the Danvers puppy eyes no matter which sister they come from.

“What’s up, Mags?” Kara says as she answers the incoming call.

“I told you not to call me that,” She grumbles from the other side. “Alright, listen up. Those fingerprints we got—they checked out and it was Intergang. We got a tip on suspicious activity in the vicinity of the old harbor and I need you to go check it out.”

“Wait, why me first? What’s happening?” Kara replies, worried. She can almost hear Maggie’s mouth twist into a grimace as the rowdy conversations in the bar grow. 

“NCPD is waiting on a search warrant but my source is telling me it’s going down tonight. A friend from Gotham is coming into town with more of you know what and who knows what else.”

“Right, so is that it? Anything else I should know?” 

“Just that the officer who went to check it before is in the hospital over some serious poisoning,” she answers. “Nothing you shouldn’t be able to handle, right?”

“Right. Thanks,” Kara sighs, before hanging up. If her gut feeling is right, which it usually is, Kara knows exactly who she’s looking for tonight. She slips the phone in her pocket.

“Duty called?” M’gann asks her in passing.

“Unfortunately.” Kara answers. She takes someone’s order and moves to tap a beer. “I have to leave early tonight. You think you can handle running the bar on your own?”

“Of course. Will I see you before closing?”

“I think so,” Kara says as she places the beer on the bar, pocketing the phone and making her way to the back. “This shouldn’t take too long.”

Changing into her suit is something Kara doesn’t even have to think about anymore, it happens in a whirl and she’s shooting up into the air in a bodysuit modeled off of one of Astra’s remaining battle armor they had found in Fort Rozz. 

It’s altered for stealth and reinforced with some kevlar after her last go with a set of dangerous claws—but it feels like a second skin, like she’s Kryptonian through and through, and Kara dons her mask before she can think too long about that.

The old harbor district lays abandoned in the dark. The streetlights aren’t on but it’s nothing too hard to see, not when she has x-ray vision. A quick glance around and it’s a dead zone, closed off from the rest of the city and rusty over the years. National City hasn’t imported a thing since Wayne’s monorail was built across the country. There is nothing dark water and abandoned warehouses. 

The perfect place for nefarious criminal activities.

She hovers higher up, above the roof of a brown storehouse. From there, Kara continues scanning over the industrial area, dimly lit by the shimmering lights of the city, across the bay. Nothing seems out of the ordinary.   
Alone to her thoughts, Clark’s words echo in her mind. Her first real fight in the world of vigilantism and she’d let herself get distracted by green eyes and snark and a bodysuit. That thief had been different, or at least, there was something different about her. She’s met the real Catwoman—done her research in fact, when she had first started making her suit—and that had not been her. 

She shakes her head. Things are confusing enough trying to handle National City’s own real world issues like the recent disappearances of aliens, the last thing they need is Gotham and its illegal activities bleeding into the city from the other side of the coast. She sighs. After going over her thoughts for nearly an hour and a half, Kara almost turns to go back to the bar when her super hearing catches a high pitched screeching of metal. Quietly, Kara drops down to the street, hiding herself behind the corner of the building, and watches.

Blonde hair, a dark get-up and, most notably, the glint of sharp claws catch her eyes. The large doors to one of the warehouses have been torn through and Kara marvels at the strength it must have taken to cut through steel. Unease settles in her as she remembers how those claws had easily slashed through her stomach.

Kara approaches, sticking to the shadow of the building. It’s the same woman from before—definitely a copycat then. Kara hesitates, considering her words from the night before and Clark’s own. Last time, hesitation had cost her a bleeding stomach, so in a split second, she’s shouting across the harbor. 

“Hey! Stop!” Kara says as she abandons her cover. The woman swivels around and instead of a surprised look, there’s a smirk on her face. Her green eyes alight with danger and Kara steels her nerves. “Remember me?” Kara can’t help but say, and in a flash, she’s closed the distance between them, crossing her arms.

“Of course,” She all but purrs. “I left you incapacitated in the grass. Supergirl, was it?” Kara bites the inside of her cheek out of frustration. That goddamn name from the first night and stupid Cat Grant and her stupid news channel. "I got some new nails just for you. Reinforced lead, wanna try it?

“Who are you really supposed to be?” Kara asks. “Are you some copycat? Catwoman wouldn’t have done those things a few nights ago.”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” She teases. She drops the bag from her shoulders and settles in a fighting stance. “If you wanted another beating all you had to do was ask. It does wonders on my ego knowing I put a Kryptonian on her ass.”

“I let you win,” Kara automatically defends. She doesn’t know why that comes out of her mouth and certainly not that. The villainess pauses. “I was going easy on you.” Kara bluffs.

“Still have your training wheels on, then?” She laughs.

“I just don’t want to hurt you.” Kara shrugs. “Forgive me for knowing all too well how easily you humans can break.”

“Well, this human can certainly handle herself.” She winks. “Besides, I _do_ like it a little rough.” She murmurs, softly, that no ordinary human would’ve heard. 

_What? Is she flirting?_ Kara only blinks, her mouth gaping, and by the self satisfied smirk on her face, that had definitely been intentional.

“You can always just let me go,” She speaks after a moment of silence. Kara is still fighting her way from the blush but she musters an answer. 

“Not until you tell me what you’re doing in National City.”

“Just a favor,” She answers coyly. “I’m meeting up with an old friend tonight and usually, the more the merrier. But there’s only room for one party crasher.” 

“What?” Kara frowns. If she’s not who Maggie tipped her about then who—.

“I’m sorry, again, Supergirl,” She says and she charges at her. Expecting the Kryptonite, Kara dodges with help from her super speed, the claws barely missing her and Kara’s thoughts are still running a mile a minute. 

She misses the crackling of a whip and unfortunately, the crackling of electricity, and Kara jumps backwards to avoid a surge. As she flips through the air, Kara realizes she’d misread her intentions and there’s a tug around her ankle that sends thousands of volts of electricity to her. 

With a splash, Kara falls from the air, submerged in the water. 

* * *

It’s not that she doesn’t feel bad for making the hero go for a midnight dive in the dirty water of the harbor, but Cat is really glad she’d been able to flee last night. The worst thing about crime is the time table, and while she’s no Captain Cold counting down the seconds of a heist, she knows there’s a deadline and well. Time was ticking. 

Sure, she didn’t need to tease the girl but she had blushed much more than Clark had and it had been absolutely worth it. From her perch on top of the warehouse, Cat scans for her target,

Inside the warehouse, there’s pallets of pale green, wrapped in layers and layers of plastic. As they’re being loaded, the workers encase them in large metal containers. Along the other side of the wall, there are vats of green liquid boiling. Such an alarming amount of green. With a sinking feeling, Cat can hazard a guess of just what’s being imported to National City and she grimaces. 

Without another thought, she steps back from the roof and dives in through the open window. She manages a smoother landing and sequesters herself in the shadows, watching. The men are all dressed in black, unidentifiable streetwear save for the few that bare their arms. A couple of quick photos, she quickly notices the tattoo. A hulking man appears then and Cat has heard enough from Selina to recognize Bane. Cat steps from the shadows.

“Isn't Gotham supposed to be your city?” The man whirls around and he catches sight of her and laughs.

“A stray cat,” He says. “Who are you to tell Bane where to be?”

“Well I'm no stray, and this isn't your terf. So back the hell off or we can do this the hard way, boys.” She unsheathes her claws. 

The men take their own fighting stances, reaching for their pockets and Cat calculates in her head the odds of taking down nine venom drugged thugs. Bane raises a hand however and decides to entertain her.

“No! I will deal with her.” Bane calls out. A pause and he beckons one of his men, who brings forward a large vial with a wicked needle. He injects it into himself and Cat watches silently as his body morphs even larger than before. There’s a greener tint to his eyes and Cat pauses, wondering what the hell kind of venom cocktail did _that._

“I wonder if cats can swim.” He pounds his fist, taunting.

“Why don't you come and find out?” 

* * *

Kara wakes up to an explosion that rocks the harbor.

She gasps from underwater and fights her way to the surface, only to be met with the entire abandoned district in flames. There’s a ferry on the harbor loading one truck on and in the distance, she spots two figures clashing.

A lumbering figure digs into the ground, unearthing a chunk of rock and throws it at the black clad thief. He roars in frustration as she expertly dodges, scratching across his chest, stomach, and along his arm, in almost the blink of an eye. As Kara pulls herself up from the water, her eyes widen as realization dawns on her.

Bane. There’s another roar again and his muscles seem to swell and that is definitely not a pretty sight. He’s stronger this time, invincible to the electric current that runs through him from Catwoman’s whip. He tugs hard on the end that's wrapped around his wrist and sends the woman flying through the air. She lands in a heap a few yards in front of Kara. 

There’s a rumbling in the ground as Bane charges and Kara doesn’t hesitate to speed in front of the woman. Unstoppable force, meet immovable object. The blow only nudges her closer forward, and she’s nose to nose with the cat thief, her green eyes hazy, still confused and disoriented. From behind them, Bane is bouncing back on the ground like a pebble flicked across the bay. 

Kara focuses on the woman in front of her, avoiding her claws, and she quickly scans down the rest of her body for a quick assessment. She focuses on her x-ray vision and does not at all think about the delicious way the woman’s skin tight body suit clings to her—it’s so not the time. There’s a cut on her eyebrow and blood at the corner of her lip. Her right arm is most likely sore from Bane’s manhandling but there’s nothing broken and Kara decides not to think about the relief that soars through her when there are no injuries.

“No broken bones,” Kara manages, “Maybe a few cuts and bruises.” She grunts in acknowledgement, all the snark seeped out of her from her fight. Kara stands, offering a hand to help her up, and she tries not to let her surprise show when she takes the hand.

“What the hell did you do to piss him off so much?” 

At that, Catwoman smirks, and waves a clawed hand towards the smoking building. “Nothing the Bats hasn’t done before. Let’s go before he tries to break either of our backs.”

Kara looks at her in askance but complies. She’s quickly realizing what Clark had meant about the Gotham Rogues and, maybe, yeah. She’s definitely out of her depth here. Maggie had never only mentioned Intergang and she had thought they’d been on the same page about which ‘friend from Gotham’ was paying a visit. Apparently not.

Before they can cleanly get away, there’s a roar from a distance and Bane is rushing forward again. Kara turns to face him and catches his very large fist in her palm, twists his wrist until she hears a sickening crunch, and he crumbles on one knee with a scream. She delivers a super sized punch to his face and when he drops like a rock, she turns to escape.

Catwoman is standing there, her eyes wide, still clutching her arm and Kara takes a step to aid her. She flinches back and Kara looks at her in confusion, but keeps walking forward. She moves to lift her, and when she doesn’t meet any resistance, she sweeps her off her feet into a bridal carry. 

“When you said you went easy on me,” She begins, and Kara realizes exactly what she had witnessed. “I—”

Kara shrugs, an indescribable feeling suddenly gnawing at her chest. “I don’t make a habit of hurting humans. And well, he’s certainly not that at the moment.”

Catwoman’s eyes widen then and she scrambles out of her arms. “The venom. His venom pump. Did you—”

An answering roar interrupts her and Kara turns around, shielding the woman behind her. 

“A Kryptonian?” Bane grins, a grotesque picture on his over muscled face. “ _He esperado mucho tiempo para esto_.” He brandishes another vial of green liquid and stabs it straight into his thigh. The veins in his body bulge but his body doesn’t bulk any larger. Instead, there’s a green tint to his skin that makes Kara if he’s been working with Poison Ivy. 

Breaking her own train of thought, Kara speeds her and Catwoman to cover in time as Bane launches himself to the air and slams down with an extended leg where they had been before. The force of his landing sends shockwaves in the ground and Bane begins hurling the chunks of broken earth towards them.

“Stay here,” She belatedly tells the thief before she somersaults through the air. She breaks through every piece of rock Bane throws and summons as much strength as she can and claps. The sound echoes across the harbor and the force of it blows the smoke away and breaks any intact windows but Bane stands his ground. 

Kara lands and directs her freeze breath at Bane’s feet, wary of burning out her powers with heat vision. She breathes in harshly and takes flight, circling Bane into a block of ice, working desperately fast as he works away at the ice. Whatever was in that serum seems to have worked better than expected and Kara knows she has to end this now before he can spill damage into the main city.

With a clenched jaw, Kara shoots to the sky. She’s only ever seen Clark do this once, in his tense fight against Doomsday, and even then, she’s not sure she can muster up the strength. Disregarding that, she stays hovering in the air once she’s far away enough, glancing around to where Catwoman could be.

She’s huddled against the side of the warehouse, weaving between the warehouses and Kara watches her curiously before shaking her head. She has a super powered mercenary to deal with. Kara waits until she hears Bane’s roar before she throws her body towards him, flying as fast as she can and her arm winding up for a punch. Her fist connects solidly and then she feels her wrist weaken. There’s a crushing feeling in her hand and the comforting feeling of flying disappears as her body meets the ground far too easily. 

Kara’s heart shoots up in her throat—she stares at Bane’s fist, caught around her own, and the green hue from before catches up to her. Her arm wobbles and the strength seeps out of her at the realization. Kryptonite.

Goddamn rogues and their kryptonite.

A curse escapes her mouth and Bane laughs. “You are not strong anymore, Kryptonian. Now I will break your back.” 

Another explosion further down the harbor distracts them and Kara turns her head to the noise. The ferry from before is up in flames, whatever contraband his gang had been smuggling sinks into the river, and another tremor goes through the structure with another explosion.

Catwoman. Fucking hell.

“No!” Kara’s head whips back to Bane, anguish on his face that quickly turns into rage. He squeezes down on her fist again and Kara bites back the scream. He raises her body above his head and a knee comes up but before she can feel the body break, a voice calls out to him. 

“Drop her and I won’t destroy the last supply of your altered venom.”

Kara musters the strength to lift her head and she sees a vial of the venom dangling from her fingertips. Her eyes blur to that nauseating shade of green and everything suddenly feels light and she feels like she’s underwater.

For the second time that night, she’s drowning.

She wakes up to cursing and warm blood dripping on her forehead. In front of her, Kara thinks she makes out Cat Grant—that’s insane, really—but then Kara blinks and Catwoman is above her, her shoulders heaving from the force of her chest compressions. 

Kara weakly reaches a hand up and gasps for air, her body shuddering from the effort. Catwoman leans back on her haunches, running a hand over her face. She runs her fingers down the nasty gash on her forehead, the blood smearing a bit, and sighs.

“Thanks for the save.” Kara meekly says. The woman only stares at her before scoffing.

“Just this once.” She says. “This is one time only, you hear me?” She reiterates as she staggers to her feet. “I’ll see you around. Or not. Try not not to make this a habit.” She hobbles off before Kara can sit up and ask questions.

Kara slumps down, the ache in her body finally registering, and she contemplates staying there, at least until the sun comes up or M’gann decides to check in.

The groan of steel beams bending and the crumbling of concrete fill the air all at the same time and Kara turns her head in time to see the remaining structures of the warehouse collapse. From a distance, Kara hears the tell tale sound of police sirens, and she hauls her body to the sky.

She’s thoroughly exhausted by the time she makes it back to the bar. 

Half way through her trek, her powers had shorted out, leaving her to walk the five miles through the city alone. Her super healing has slowed, dampened from the prolonged exposure to kryptonite and she still has no idea what to do about the fact that there are criminals smuggling synthetic kryptonite into the city. There’s also no way she can get a story out of this for her blog, at least not ethically, and Kara resigns herself to chasing a lead on the fight club some of her patrons had mentioned the other day.

“You wouldn’t believe the night I just had.” Kara groans when she trudges in through the back entrance of the bar. It’s empty, it usually is around two am, but M’gann likes to keep it open if any aliens happen to need some kind of shelter. 

M’gann sets down the glass she’s cleaning and immediately pulls out a bottle of Aldebaran rum. "Actually, I think I can. I'm pretty sure almost every news station is covering the explosion at the harbor." She slides her the full glass. Kara downs it before speeding to the backroom, peeling off her muddy suit and boots. 

It squelches, still wet from the two times she managed to end up in the river. M’gann calls out after her. “If you get water on the floor, mop it up, Kara.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She huffs. The rum numbs the rest of her body as she changes into her second spare change of clothes. She goes over the entire events of the night. Something didn't add up, but Kara couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

“I don’t know why you’re so determined to die for an article,” M’gann says when she comes back out, whiskey in hand. There’s another glass of rum on the counter for her.

“I’m not,” Kara says and she shrugs for show, holding her face still despite her flinch after. “I just think something is going on here. Something we don’t know about. Maybe it’s connected with that alien fight club. Nothing about this just doesn't sit right.”

“I get that, Kara,” M’gann places a comforting hand on her shoulder. “But you can’t save everyone.”

“I know.” Fiddling with a glass, Kara switches the subject. “I’ve been meaning to ask—do you know anything about the new Catwoman running around here?”

“You mean the original?” At Kara’s confused glance, M’gann chuckles.

“You really should take up Clark’s offer for a tour of the Hall. It’s not just the heroes that pass down mantles.” 

“Yeah but Catwoman? Passing down the mantle...of a cat burglar?” Kara says slowly. Kara knows very well that the Batfamily in Gotham are a rotation of vigilantes that extend past their own city limits. She vaguely knew that the cat burglar 

“She is part of Batman’s circle,” M’gann points out. “Before that she had to have had a mentor. All you heroes are like this, it shouldn’t really strike you that some villains are the same way.”

Kara sips at the rum again. It burns comfortably as it goes down. The idea of going to the Hall of Heroes isn’t appealing. The place holds very little importance to her, being the league’s public headquarters and serving as a museum for curious tourists. The information they have for the public is heavily redacted anyways. 

Watchtower runs seamlessly and while Kara would benefit from the help in pinning down this new Catwoman and just which gangs are stirring up trouble in National City, she doesn’t want to just be another one of the league’s members. She doesn’t want to just be another costumed superhero. Which is why she needs definite sources, for her non-existent article.

“Maybe one day,” Kara settles on saying. “I just don’t get the deal with these rogues. Gotham is literally across the country. Unless they have their own zeta tubes, why bother coming to California?”

“Maybe it’s the great alien booze?” M’gann laughs. “Or the sunshine? Speaking of which, you need to take care of yourself.” 

“I am, I swear. Sun lamps as soon as this shift is over.” 

“Just take the day off, Kara. Soak in some real sun.”

“No, I couldn’t do that,” Kara says. “You already cover for me so much with Alex.”

“Well consider this covering for you with Alex—you don’t want her coming back asking questions about,” M’gann gestures at her bruises. “That.”   
In all the commotion, Kara had forgotten Alex was due to return from her retreat in a couple of days. While Alex has an idea of Kara’s desire to don a cape, so to speak, they haven’t spoken at length about it. M’gann gives her a pointed glance, as if she knows, and so Kara acquiesces. 

“Alright, but I promise you. Tonight, no slacking, I am coming back and I swear I won’t disappear.” M’gann nods and then shoos her towards the door. 

Kara beams at her and tugs M’gann into a speedy hug before bursting out the door and into the sky, past the clouds, and into space. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't mind the spanish that's just me using it as an excuse to call this homework
> 
> He esperado mucho tiempo para esto - I have waited a long time for this

**Author's Note:**

> find me on tumblr @danvers-grant


End file.
